Dustin Parsons, winner of the Midwest Short Fiction Contest, will be coming to read at Northwest Missouri State University on Thursday, March 3rd at 7PM in the Living Room of the student union. Check out his winning story entitled "Geist."

Geist

Casper had no reason to enter the line to comfort Mrs. Richardson, so he walked out through the side door after the service. The sky was just darkening, and Tara waited for him at his mother’s car. She was wearing her sundress, yellow like a lily, and seemed to be the brightest object he’d seen in days.

All the rigs were shut down for the day, and a black length of rag was tied to the post outside Central Well. Forty-four men exited to the quiet street of Ransom, Kansas, in ill-fitting suits, lighting cigarettes and passing around small brown bags full of whiskey. This had been their first day off in some time, and while they had this obligation in the early evening, the real wake would be later.